Something Far More Dangerous
by marinefan123
Summary: After The Fall of the Dragon Riders, Morzan is sent on a mission to a distant land in search of surviving Dragon Riders. While there, he stumbles across something unexpected and sets off a series of events that could have long-term ramifications not only for the Empire, but for the whole world. Set in the same alternate universe as my other fics.
1. Prologue

**Just a few things first. This story will be five chapters long and it takes place in the same universe as Inheritance: Legacy. **

**In my fanfic universe, the Banishing of the Names never happened, there are lands beyond Alagaesia which will play a role in the story, there are more mythical races, events will happen much differently from how they happened in the books, and many characters will be portrayed differently. I am writing this story as a prequel to Inheritance: Legacy to provide some back story which will play a major role in the events of that story.**

Prologue

The wind howled and the snow pelted a lone figure seated astride a crimson dragon as they fought their way through a raging blizzard high above a remote mountain range.

"Curse this place and its backwards seasons!" Morzan bellowed, wrapping himself tightly in his travel cloak.

As if the crimson Rider did not have enough problems to worry about, now it seems as if Galbatorix had sent him on yet another wild goose. Their orders had been to hunt down their old masters, Oromis and the golden dragon, Glaedr, who had eluded Formora and Kailandi earlier.

_This is a waste of time! _Complained the crimson dragon on which Morzan rode.

_Agreed. But you know just as well as I do that we have no choice. _Ragnarök replied.

Morzan sighed. We never had a choice…" he said in barely a whisper. His words were lost amongst the howling wind.

As they soared onward through the winter storm, Morzan reflected on the events that had led him here. He dreaded to think about how he had fallen into Galbatorix's clutched as a young student. It had been a terrifying experience. He recalled how Galbatorix, the wanted fugitive, had threatened himself and Ragnarök with death if they did not comply. He had used their love for one another against them, forcing them to swear oath after oath to him. No matter how badly they had wanted to seek help, the binding oaths prevented them from telling anyone.

Morzan scowled bitterly at the thought of what Galbatorix had made him do. He thought back to how the fugitive Rider had forced him to assist in the stealing of a hatchling which indeed in the murder of a young student. He remembered how Galbatorix had used him as a mole, gathering information about the Riders, the whereabouts of the elders, and recruiting other disgruntled Riders to his cause.

"It doesn't matter now." he tried to tell himself. "They're all dead now."

From the time Ragnarök had hatched for him, the other Riders had treated them both like vermin. With a few exceptions, everyone they met had been cruel to them.

"They were a bunch of entitled elitist fools! They deserved what happened to them." Morzan growled, feeling the chill of icy wind penetrate his cloak, reflecting the cold darkness which had gripped his heart.

_Saphira and Brom didn't deserve what happened._ Ragnarök corrected him with a hint of regret and sadness.

Morzan frowned, adjusting his cloak so as to better keep out the icy wind.

_ Dammit Rag, why did you have to bring that up?_ Morzan demanded.

Brom and his dragon had been among the few Riders who had not been downright cruel to them. Morzan felt a great pang of guilt everything his thoughts drifted back to the pair. Brom, while he could be annoying at times, had been the only other student who was willing to befriend Morzan. And Saphira, as self-righteous and bullheaded as she could be sometimes, was a kindhearted dragon who had helped him on numerous occasions. She had even personally saved his life once before. Now she was dead, slain by his own hand. As for Brom, Morzan had never learned of the boy's fate but it was unlikely that he had survived. He shared an unusually close bond with his dragon. If the shock of losing Saphira didn't kill him, the invisible poison which had coated Vroengard certainly would have.

Few people had ever been kind to him and most of them were dead now. Morzan tried to push the thoughts from his mind and focus on the mission at hand. Recently, Galbatorix had captured another surviving Rider, an elf by the name of Natagath. The rider's dragon, a violet colored female, had managed to escape thanks to Natagath severing the bond between him and the dragon, making it impossible to track her down through their bond. Though the dragon had not yet been found, Galbatorix had learned from the elf that Oromis and Glaedr were still alive somewhere. Morzan's search for his former master had led him to a land called Danthuania, a small continent in the southern ocean south of Alagaesia. Located in the Southern Hemisphere, this odd land featured backwards seasons and highly unpredictable weather. It also had a surprising variety of landscapes for a small continent. The northern coastline that Morzan and Ragnarök had seen when they first arrived was covered by dense tropical rainforests, while the interior was dominated by a large, snowy mountain range.

A strong gust of wind caused Ragnarök to roll sharply to the right before steadying himself.

_This accursed storm is growing worse by the second! We must land or we'll be killed!_ The ruby dragon said to his comrade.

_Very well. Try to find us some shelter. We'll continue our search once the blizzard has passed._ Morzan replied telepathically. Truth be told, he could have just warded them from the storm but he wanted an excuse to rest. The pair flew on for several minutes until Ragnarök found the entrance to a cavern near the base of a mountain. As soon as the red dragon landed in the snow, Morzan climbed down and sank up to his knees. Wrapping his arms around himself, Morzan waded through the snow until he was inside the cave. Ragnarök followed. The dragon was almost too large to fit through the opening, but he finally managed to squeeze inside. Morzan took a moment to look around the cavern. The only light seemed to be the light coming in from the entrance of the cave. Just as Morzan was about to find a place to sit, Ragnarök sniffed the air, tensed up and growled.

_What is it, Rag?_ inquired Morzan, gazing into the darkness.

_We're not alone!_ replied the dragon.

"Brisingr!" Morzan shouted, shooting a ball of fire into the darkness of the cavern. As the ball of fire traveled into the depths of the cave, Morzan saw several sets of glowing eyes, illuminated by the glow of the fire, staring at him. Immediately the Rider drew Zar'roc from his belt and prepared to cast wards around himself. Behind him, Ragnarök glanced up at something up above them. Before either Rider or dragon could react, an ear-splitting screech filled the air. A sharp, burning pain shot through Morzan's mind and he and Ragnarök both screaming in agony in unison. Morzan's vision blurred and he became disoriented. He tried to summon his magic to steady himself but to his horror, it was as if his link to magic, and to his dragon, had been severed. As the sound of the screech reverberated in his mind, Morzan became more disoriented and lost his footing. Zar'roc fell to the floor of the cave with a clank and Morzan struck his head on a rock. The last thing he saw before darkness set in was a dark form descending upon him from above.

To be continued…


	2. Something Different

Chapter 1: Something Different

Morzan's head was reeling and spinning as he began to regain consciousness. Somewhere nearby, he heard a voice speaking.

"Look, he's coming around."

"Not for long." replied a deep voice.

Before Morzan could open his eyes, there was a heavy thud and then he felt an enormous weight pressing down on him. Something clamped around his throat. Morzan's eyes shot open as he gasped for air, and he found himself staring into a pair of large, mustard yellow eyes. Whatever this creature was, it certainly wasn't human. In the darkness, all he could make out was the eyes, a pair of long, pointed ears, and a hooked beak like that of a predatory bird. The creature appeared to be covered in black feathers.

To Morzan's surprise, the creature spoke in the same deep voice he had just heard.

"You should not have come here, human!"

Immediately, Morzan summoned his magic to deal with this creature. However, before he could even think of a spell to use, the creature opened his beak and let out an ear-piercing shriek, the same one that Morzan had heard when he first entered the cave.

"Ahhhhh! Really?" he creamed as pain shot through his skull and somewhere nearby, he heard Ragnarök roar in agony.

His vision blurred and his ears were left ringing. His magic was gone again. Though his vision was blurred, he could swear he saw a look of pure glee in the creature's yellow eyes as if it was toying with him. The creature opened its beak and screeched in his face once more.

"STOP IT!" Morzan screamed as the pain intensified.

"Fireclaw, that's enough!" snapped another voice nearby. "Let him go!"

The creature released Morzan and for a moment, he just laid there, unable to move.

"As you wish." The creature called Fireclaw snapped back before moving out of Morzan's line of view.

Another creature loomed over the fallen Rider. This one had golden brown feathers and amber eyes.

"I'm sorry about that. Are you alright?" asked the creature in much more gentle tone than his companion.

As Morzan's vision cleared, he briefly studied the creature. In addition to his bird-like head, he walked on four legs. His front legs were also like those of a predatory bird, with three clawed toes on the front and a thumb-like clawed toe on the back of his front feet. A pair of wings covered in golden brown feathers were folded across his back. The rear half of the creature's body was like that of a great feline, covered in tawny fur, and he had a long tail ending in a feathered fan.

"Y-y-you're a g-gr-gryphon." Morzan stammered, feeling like he was going to vomit.

"How observant." The gryphon replied, surveying the Forsworn.

Morzan had heard of these creatures before during his lessons with Oromis. He and Ragnarök had often joked about how fun it would be to hunt a gryphon. He had dismissed Oromis's claims that the creatures were not to be trifled with, as they possessed a magically infused screech which could not only paralyze a dragon, but could also stun anything that heard it and temporarily sever a magician's connection to their magic. The effects of the screech attack were temporary, but they left the victim completely at the mercy of the gryphon.

Presently, Morzan's eyes were fixed upon the gryphon as he approached. The gryphon's talons, each of which looked like it could slice a man in half, made a distinctive clicking sound on the cave floor as he walked.

"Tell me, Rider, why are you here?" inquired the gryphon.

"I am here on orders from King Galbatorix, supreme ruler of Alagaesia." Morzan answered, still feeling s if he was going to vomit. "I seek another Rider."

The gryphon shook his head. "There are no Dragon Riders here that I'm aware of."

"I figured as much." Morzan said. Then another thought crossed his mind. He was so surprised by the presence of the gryphons that he had almost forgotten his dragon.

"Where is my dragon?" he asked, sitting upright.

Morzan spotted Ragnarök lying on his side about twenty feet away and leaped to his feet. Reaching the ruby dragon's side, Morzan knelt down. Ragnarök just let out a whimper of pain, still suffering from the effects of the gryphon screech. Off to his right, the black gryphon called Fireclaw stared at him with a venomous scowl.

"He'll be fine." The brown gryphon said. The effects should wear off soon."

The gryphon then said, "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Akron, leader of the Misty River Clan."

"I am Morzan, and this is my dragon, Ragnarök." Said Morzan.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw several more gryphon emerging from the darkness of the cavern. There were at least a dozen in the cave altogether.

Akron explained, "There are dozens of us scattered throughout these mountains. We sought shelter here after the humans forced us from our land in the north."

"We don't take kindly to humans invading what little territory we have left either!" spat Fireclaw.

"Fireclaw was the leader of the Black Talon Clan before King Roland's soldiers slew most of them in battle." Akron said. "We warned them to flee with us, but they didn't listen."

Fireclaw just hissed angrily. "Perhaps if your lot hadn't fled like a bunch of cowards…"

"It would have made no difference." Akron retorted, never losing his cool demeanor.

Never the most tactful person, Moran was confused about the whole issue.

"I don't understand. Why can't you just fly away and go somewhere else?"

At these words, Fireclaw gave Morzan a glare as if he would eviscerate him where he stood.

"Typical clueless human! This land is our home! Why should we be forced to flee?" roared the black gryphon.

Akron gave Fireclaw another glare that silenced him.

"It's more complicated than that." explained Akron, turning his attention back to Morzan. "There is something I wish to discuss with you. Come, walk with me."

Morzan wasn't sure what this gryphon wanted to discuss with him, but nevertheless, he started after Akron, stopping to pick up Zar'roc off the floor of the cave. He paused next to his dragon.

"Just rest here, Rag. I'll be back in a bit." He said reassuringly to the crimson dragon.

_My head still hurts._ the dragon complained.

"You'll be fine." Moran reassured him.

As they exited the cave, Morzan could see that the storm was gone, leaving behind a pewter grey sky. Snow blanketed the landscape and ice sickles hung from the evergreen trees nearby. The pine trees provided the only real color in the desolate landscape.

Once they were away from the cave, Akron spoke. "I wanted to talk to you in private, Rider. Out here we can converse without Fireclaw's constant interruptions."

"Why do you keep him around? He seems like nothing but trouble." Morzan replied.

Akron sighed. "True, and I really don't trust him, but he is one of our best warriors. I rely on him to keep our clans safe from King Roland's men."

The gryphon sighed again. "It wasn't always this way though. There was a time when we lived in peace with the humans."

Morzan felt Akron's mind touch his own and an image appeared in his mind of a small village by the ocean.

"This is the town of Grinsford, the capitol of Danthuania. The humans who first settled here were scholars who were exiled from Alagaesia. They were people with a keen interest in scientific discovery and technological progress. They wanted to find new ways to improve the lives of people everywhere. However, the elves who ruled the land wanted nothing to do with them. Perhaps the elves felt that the human discoveries would present a threat to their rule."

"The elves were always a bunch of self-righteous bigots!" Morzan spat venomously.

"Whatever the case, these people were exiled and sent here for what they believed in. We were more than happy to share our land with them though. For many years, we gryphons lived in peace with the humans. My father was considered a leader by both the humans and the gryphons. He organized the scholars and together, they invented things beyond your wildest dreams!"

"Like what?" Morzan asked, trying not to scoff. After all, he had certainly never heard of any technological advancements from this seemingly primitive land.

"You've never heard of the steam engine?" Akron replied. "Or the printing press?"

Morzan shook his head, perplexed.

"Imagine a machine that can do the work of a thousand men. Or a machine that can print dozens of books at a time!" Akron exclaimed.

"Well, my magic is strong enough to do the work of a thousand men and I don't really have any use for books." replied Morzan.

"Well, to make a long story short, we lived amongst the humans until Roland, a disgraced lord banished from a distant land, arrived. He hired a band of mercenaries and conquered the peaceful humans in Gringsford and declared himself king. To him and his men, we were nothing more than stupid animals. They hunted us for sport!"

Akron was visibly angered as he recounted what happened. "Roland used the research and discoveries of the scientists to fashion new weapons the likes of which we had never seen. We didn't discover this until it was too late though."

"What do you mean? What kind of weapons?" inquired Morzan, a bit concerned by this news.

"Roland called for a meeting with the gryphon leaders from various clans/ He promised us a peace treaty. My parents attended, as they were the leaders of the Misty River Clan. Fireclaw and his parents were there as well. When Roland arrived, he and his men ambushed us."

Another image flashed before Morzan's eyes, showing a bunch of soldiers led by a man on horseback confronting a group of gryphons. The men all carried what looked like some kind of staff slung over their shoulders. The man on the horse, presumably Roland, gave an order and the men unshouldered the stick-like weapons and pointed them at the gryphons. Fire flashed from the ends of the weapons accompanied by a series of loud cracking sounds and several gryphons fell. Some tried to flee but more men armed with the strange weapons were waiting for them. Morzan saw the men open fire on the fleeing gryphons and he watched as several fell from the sky.

"I survived by hiding in the underbrush. My parents weren't so fortunate." Akron explained.

Morzan then saw another image of a small black gryphon nestling being grabbed by one of the men.

"What do we do with this one?" asked the man.

"We'll take it home. The prince could use a new pet." replied the man on the horse.

Akron explained the scene that Morzan had just witnessed, "That young gryphon was captured by Roland's men. We found him several weeks later in the woods. His forefeet and feathers had been badly burned. He refused to tell us about what the humans did to him, but I have my suspicions. I never knew what his original name was, but from then on, he called himself Fireclaw."

Morzan felt his anger rising. This all brought back bad memories of the genocide against the dragons, which Galbatorix had forced him to be a part of. He quickly pushed the thoughts from his mind.

"So what do you want from me?" inquired the Forsworn.

"We want your help." Akron replied. "You can put an end to this."

Morzan frowned. He felt pity for these creatures, but this was not his fight.

"No. I did not come here to fight your war for you." he answered.

For a moment, Akron looked slightly hurt by his refusal. However, the gryphon nodded and said, "I see."

Just then, several gryphon flew overhead toward the cave. They appeared to be carrying various animals including deer in their talons. One gryphon, a light tan female, landed nearby, laying the deer she was carrying with her on the ground. She walked up to Karon and Morzan.

"Ahh, allow me to introduce my mate, Nesira." Akron said cheerfully.

"Nesira, this is Morzan, our visitor from Alagaesia."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Morzan." greeted the female gryphon in a friendly manner.

Turning to her mate, Nesira stated, "We gathered enough food to last us a few days."

"Good. The less time spent hunting the better." Akron said.

Turning to Morzan, he said, "You should join us for supper."

"I suppose." Morzan replied, feeling both hungry and tired.

After returning to the cave, the gryphons divided up the meat amongst themselves. Morzan cut a hunk of venison off one of the deer and set about preparing it for dinner.

Turning to Ragnarök, he suggested, "Perhaps you should go hunting. There's not nearly enough food here to feed a dragon.

_Very well. I'll be back. _replied the dragon as he got up to leave.

Fireclaw expressed displeasure at the idea of the gryphons sharing their hard earned kill with a human, but as usual, Akron exerted his authority and shut him up.

As Morzan cooked his meat using magic, Nesira inquired, "So, how long will you be staying?"

"I'm not sure." Morzan answered. "Galbatorix gave me two months to complete this assignment, but since the Rider and dragon I seek are not here, there is no further reason for me to stay."

"Well, you're welcome to stay as long as you like." Nesira said. "You seem like a decent person."

"You don't know me very well then." Morzan scoffed. Akron joined them.

"We know that you're one of the renegade Riders known as the Forsworn." interjected the male gryphon. "Yes, even here, we've heard of the slaughter of the Dragon Riders. However, you have caused us no harm and you don't seem to have any ill will toward us."

"I did not consciously make a decision to join the Forsworn!" Morzan snapped, suddenly defensive. "Galbatorix discovered my true name at a young age. He used me as his mole, to spy on the Riders and gain information. I didn't choose to betray them! I even ended up killing two of my friends."

Akron and Nesira were taken aback by his sudden angry outburst. However, Akron maintained his calm demeanor.

"Well, Morzan,…" the gryphon started to say. "Sometimes bad things happen. Sometimes they are beyond our control and there is nothing we can do about it. However, as you said, it wasn't your fault."

Morzan was quite surprised by Akron's kind words. Anyone else would have screamed at him, cursed him, or called him a liar. The genuine kindness of the gryphons surprised him.

Morzan wasn't quite sure what to say so he went back to cooking his meal.

"Vendr." He uttered, blowing air onto the hot meat to cool it down.

"What does 'vendr' mean?" Akron asked.

"A wind spell. This meat is too hot to eat." Morzan answered.

Akron stood there for a moment deep in thought. Then the gryphon pointed a talon at the wall and muttered, "Vendr."

A blast of wind shot from the gryphon's talon and exploded against the wall of the cavern, rattling some dust loose from the ceiling. Everyone gasped in shock. Akron swayed slightly where he stood as he tried to steady himself. He had not expected the massive drain of energy.

Morzan gazed at the gryphon in shock.

"Did you just perform magic?"

To be continued…


	3. Blood to be Paid

Chapter 2: Blood to be Paid

Three weeks had passed since the discovery that gryphons were capable of performing magic. Morzan had been secretly teaching magic to Akron and Nesira. It had been decided that it was best for him to teach it only to them, and then to let Akron and Nesira decide who they wanted to teach it to. It was soon discovered that gryphons were only capable of performing certain spells. While they excelled at air spells, fire spells, and light spells, they seemed incapable of doing much else with magic. Stranger yet, it was soon discovered that gryphons could perform magic wordlessly, a feat long thought impossible.

During his time with the gryphons, Akron's clan had welcomed himself and Ragnarök with open arms. He had never felt welcome anywhere before. Morzan and Ragnarök dreaded the day they would have to leave and return to Galbatorix's service. Still, Morzan pitied the gryphons. While he was unwilling to confront Danthuania's tyrannical king, he felt that he should at least instruct the gryphons to defend themselves from further attacks.

One afternoon, Morzan was tutoring Akron in a forest glade not far from their cave. The weather in the mountains was still freezing cold and everything was covered with ice and snow. Morzan fabricated snow sculptures and allowed Akron to practice his magic on them.

The brown gryphon pointed a talon at one of the snow pillars and blasted it into powder with an air spell. He attacked the next one with a fireball spell, quickly reducing it to steam.

"You're getting better." Morzan complimented Akron, examining his work.

Ragnarök turned and looked up into the sky.

_We have company._ said the crimson dragon.

Morzan heard the sound of flapping wings and Fireclaw swooped down from the sky and landed in the glade, glaring at both Morzan and Akron.

"So, when do you plan to teach me magic?" demanded the black gryphon.

"When I decide that you are trustworthy enough to learn magic." snapped Akron in response.

"I'm not teaching you anything." Moran added with a smirk.

While Akron's clan had been nothing but kind to him, Fireclaw and his followers were much more hostile. Recently, with Akron and Nesira learning magic, Fireclaw had become even more aggressive.

"You have no right to withhold such knowledge!" retorted the black gryphon.

"That's too bad, I'm afraid." Morzan grinned.

"Then perhaps you can leave my home! I grow tired of the caves wreaking of human and dragon!" growled Fireclaw.

"It's my home actually, and he has a right to stay as long as he pleases!" Akron replied.

Ignoring Akron's comment, Fireclaw advanced toward Morzan, his yellow eyes fixed on the Rider.

"Perhaps you should watch your back. These mountains can be quite dangerous."

Morzan scoffed at the implied threat.

"Oh, why don't you go sit on a porcupine!" Morzan shouted.

Fireclaw screeched angrily but it did no good. Anticipating an attack, Morzan placed wards around himself and Ragnarök to protect them from Fireclaw's screech. Fireclaw pounced on Morzan and clenched his talons around the Forsworn's throat. He then attempted to break into Morzan's mind but Morzan's mental barriers easily blocked him. The Rider then lashed out with his own mind, easily smashing through Fireclaw's mental defenses. In just a few moments, he was inside Fireclaw's mind. However, he was not prepared for what he saw there. In the deepest recesses of the black gryphon's mind, Morzan came across a series of memories. They were fragmented and broken as if Fireclaw had gone to great lengths to suppress and forget them, but they were still there.

.

.

.

Morzan found himself seeing the same massacre that Akron had previously shown him, except from Fireclaw's point of view as a young nestling. The young gryphon was shaking and nuzzling an obviously dead adult gryphon, presumably one of his parents. Suddenly, one of King Roland's men grabbed him and lifted him by the nape of the neck.

"What do we do with this one?" asked the man.

"We'll take it home. The prince could use a new pet." replied King Roland

The young gryphon was stuffed into a sack and everything became dark.

In the next memory, Morzan saw the king carrying the young gryphon by the nape of the neck into a well lit room. Before them stood a teenage boy.

"I brought you something." Rolan said, holding up the nesting .

A look of disgust appeared on the boy's face.

"I don't want that stupid bird!" he shrieked.

Rolan just dropped the gryphonling on the floor, shrugged, and walked away. The memory faded again.

Next, Morzan saw the gryphon, now dressed in a jester outfit, huddling in the corner as the boy reached for him. He could see what looked like an obstacle course with hoops and various stands. The prince was apparently trying to get Firclaw to perform tricks.

"Do something you stupid gryphon!" demanded the prince.

The young gryphon backed into the corner as the prince reached for him. In fear, Fireclaw bit the boy's hand.

The prince screamed and then kicked the gryphon in the side, sending him skidding across the floor.

"You'll pay for that, stupid bird!" yelled the prince. Fireclaw got to his feet, limping as he tried to take cover under the bed. The prince grabbed him tightly by the throat, causing the gryphon to gag and gasp for air. The prince grinned maliciously as he eyes a lit torch on the wall. Grabbing the burning torch, he thrusted it into the gryphon's face. Fireclaw tried to shield his face with his forepaws, resulting in his forelimbs getting badly burned. He screeched in agony as his paws burned and his feathers were singed by the torch. Lashing out with his talons, the gryphon slashed the prince across the neck. He dropped Fireclaw and the torch, clasping his hands over his neck as blood ran between his fingers. The prince collapsed to the ground, gasping and writhing as he bled out on the floor. Fireclaw staggered over to the window and scrambled up the curtains and leaped, leaving the dying prince and the castle behind.

.

.

.

Morzan felt something hit him hard, and he was jolted from Fireclaw's mind as he was knocked t the ground. The black gryphon stood over him, a look of pure rage in his eyes.

"You!" he hissed. "You had no right…"

As he approached Morzan, a blast of air knocked the black gryphon onto his side.

"That's enough!" Akron ordered, standing protectively over Morzan.

Fireclaw tried to stand up but Ragnarök quickly pounced on him, pinning him to the ground.

_I've had just about enough of you!_ snarled the dragon.

As he helped Morzan to his feet, a resonating bang was heard not far away.

Morzan recognized it as the same sound he had heard the weapons make in Akron's memory.

A fearful look appeared on both Akron's and Fireclaw's faces.

Moments later, a gryphon fell flew down from the sky, landing awkwardly and collapsed at their feet. Morzan saw blood oozing from a wound on the creature's chest.

"The caves… they found us…" gasped the unfortunate gryphon before his body became limp and still.

"Nesira…" Akron gasped, looking back in the direction of the cave.

"Come on, Rag! Let's go!" Morzan shouted, mounting his dragon.

Ragnarök and the two gryphon took off into the sky, heading for the cave as fast as they could. More shots were heard up ahead. Moments later, Morzan, Ragnarök, Akron, and Fireclaw reached the cave. It appeared that an entire garrison of King Roland's men were attacking the gryphons. Outside the cave, several gryphon and soldiers lay dead. Morzan and Ragnarök felt a terrible rage come over them. Ragnarök swooped down and open his maw, unleashing a jet of crimson flames upon the men outside the cave and incinerating them. As the dragon circled around to land, another soldier emerged from the cave. They pointed their gun at the Rider and dragon. Morzan was a white puff of smoke and a flash of fire accompanied by a loud cracking sound. He then heard something whiz past his head. Placing ward around himself and Ragnarök, the Rider drew Zar'roc and prepared for battle. The dragon landed and Morzan leaped from the saddle. The man charged toward Morzan and he noticed a long pointed spike attached to the end of the weapon. With a quick killing spell, he effortlessly dispatched the soldier. Two more soldiers exited the cave and pointed their muskets at Morzan. When they fired, Morzan felt a drain in his wards as two small balls of lead stopped just inches from his body. These weapons were more powerful than he had initially thought.

Annoyed, Morzan focused his energy of the lead balls.

"Thrysta!" he shouted, propelling the projectiles back at the soldiers with killing force.

Morzan then charged into the cave as Akron and Fireclaw followed.

"I'm going to find Nesira!" Akron called out.

Morzan nodded, preparing more wards to protect himself. However, he realized his dragon was far more vulnerable to the strange weapons than he was

_Stay outside, Rag! I'll handle these barbarians!_

_Alright, just be careful!_ Replied the dragon as he took off back into the sky.

Off to his left, Morzan saw Fireclaw grab one of the soldiers by the head with his beak and shake them like a rag doll. As he proceeded deeper into the cavern, he came across another soldier trying to reload their gun. The soldier charged at Morzan, trying to sttack him with the bayonet but the Rider was too quick. He stepped aside and sliced the musket clean in half with Zar'roc. Then with another quick motion, he decapitated his attacker. He then continued after Akron. By now there weren't many soldiers left. The gryphons had apparently put up quite a fight, but both sides had taken heavy casualties. The bodies of soldiers and gryphon littered the cave. As Morzan witnessed the carnage around him, he felt his blood boil. King Roland would pay dearly for this!

Up ahead, Morzan spotted Nesira and the few remaining gryphons trying to fend off the remaining soldiers. Akron got to the first. He blasted two aside with a powerful air spell and then slashed a third with his talons. As Akron spun around to attack another soldier, the soldier fired his gun. Akron gasped in shock as the lead ball tore through his wing. The soldier then thrust his bayonet into the gryphon's chest, causing the gryphon to cry out.

The gryphon collapsed on the ground, blood pouring from the wound on his breast and staining his feathers.

The soldier placed the bayonet on his gun to Akron's throat and sneered, "Come on, birdie! Let me hear you sing!"

When Morzan saw his friend collapse on the ground, he let out a cry of rage, charging toward the soldier. The man never had a chance to respond before he was literally hacked to bits by Morzan's blade.

With the attack now over, Nesira and the others gathered around Akron, who lay on the ground, gasping and coughing blood.

"Akron…" Nesira sobbed as she lied down beside her mate.

Morzan knelt by Karon's side. He knew there wasn't much time to act.

"You're going to be alright, my friend." He reassured Akron as he summoned energy stored in the ruby on Zar'roc's hilt.

Morzan uttered a complex healing spell and Akron's breathing became normal as the wound was healed. With his friend now healed and out of immediate danger, Morzan stood up and looked around him. As he saw the bodies of the gryphons who had invited him into their home and treated him with respect and dignity, he felt his anger growing. He suddenly saw the bodies of the countless wild dragons who had been murdered by the Forsworn. He saw the many Riders who had died because of him. He had been powerless to stop either of those slaughters, having been forced into Galbatorix's servitude. But this... THis was something he could have prevented!

Morzan's thoughts were interrupted when Fireclaw suddenly joined the group.

Glaring down at Akron, the black gryphon snarled, "This is all your fault! If you…"

"No!" Morzan interjected. "This was my fault!"

Everyone glanced at him, clearly confused.

"I could have stopped this long ago." he continued, almost on the verge of tears.

Morzan looked down at Akron. "You asked for my help, and I refused. I didn't see this war as being my concern. I see now that I was wrong."

_Morzan, is everything alright?_ inquired Ragnarök, entering the cave.

_Yes, the attack is over now._ Morzan replied as he started walking toward the crimson dragon.

"I know what I must do now." he stated aloud.

"Where are you going?" Nesira asked, leaving her mate's side and starting after him.

"To do what I should have done in the first place!" replied the red Rider as he climbed into the saddle. "And may whatever gods or deities there are have mercy on this Roland bastard when I get my hands on him!"

With that, Ragnarök and Morzan took off into the sky.

To be continued…


	4. Vengeance

Chapter 3: Vengeance

The mountains soon gave way to lush forests as Morzan and Ragnarök flew north toward Gringsford. As evening fell, the snow turned to cold rain. Morzan sat silently, contemplating what he would do to King Roland.

Sensing his Rider's thoughts, Ragnarök said, _Be sure to leave some for me!_

_Don't worry. I certainly will!_

It was late at night when they finally arrived at the coastal city. A castle stood atop a cliff that overlooked the town below.

"That must be where he lives." Morzan muttered to himself. He reached out with his mind, probing the occupants of the castle and searching for Roland's location. Most were just guards and staff. Finally, he found the king's consciousness on one of the castle's upper floors.

_Alright, take me down. Once you drop me off, stay in the air and out of range of their weapons. ,_ instructed Morzan.

_Alright, but be careful._ Ragnarök replied.

The dragon descended and silently landed on the roof. The pounding rain drowned out the sound of his wings so the guards wouldn't hear him. Morzan dropped down onto a walkway on the roof and stood back a Ragnarök took off into the stormy night sky. Morzan silently dispatched two guards with magic before climbing down onto a veranda that led to Roland's bedroom. Morzan grabbed the doorknob to open the door, but changed his mind.

_I think I'll make a more dramatic entrance._

With an explosive blast of energy, Morzan reduced the door to splinters. There, on the bed, lay a middle-aged man in a nightgown. Morzan recognized him from the memories he had seen earlier.

The noise awoke Roland, who sat up in bed trying to comprehend what was happening. Before he could react, Morzan dashed across the room and grabbed him by the collar, flinging him out of bed. Morzan the lifted the confused king up, dragged him over to the window, and slammed Roland's face through the glass, cutting his face. Then he smashed the king's face through a second window and tossed him onto the ground. Lying on his back with a look of confused terror on his face, Roland stammered, "Who are you? What do you want?"

"I want your worthless hide!" growled Morzan, kicking Roland in the side hard enough to send him rolling across the room.

Morzan grabbed him again and lifted him up.

Gasping for breath, Roland stammered, "Please stop! I'll give you anything you want!"

"What I want is to watch you drift in and out of consciousness as you're slowly disemboweled" sneered Morzan, delivering a hard blow to the stomach, which knocked the wind out of Roland.

Morzan then delivered a brutal uppercut to Roland's jaw, knocking a couple of teeth out.

"Why are you doing this?" demanded the king, blood running from his mouth.

"I'll tell you just before I end your miserable existence in this world. However, I haven't made you suffer quite enough just yet! " replied, Morzan before punching Roland in the face again.

After delivering several more blows, Morzan finally grew bored and drew a dagger from his belt.

"Now, it's time to end this!" he smirked.

"Morzan! Stop!" called a voice behind him.

Morzan turned his head and saw Akron standing in the doorway. The gryphon looked exhausted and was soaked from the rain.

"You!" Roland bellowed when he saw the gryphon. "I should have known you were behind this!"

"Shut up!" ordered Morzan, backhanding the king across the face.

"I don't want you to kill him!" Akron protested.

"Why not?" demanded Morzan. "He deserves to die for what he's done!"

"True." Said Akron. "But I want him to face justice. I want him to be put on trial and answer to both the gryphon and the humans he has wronged. And then he will be dealt with accordingly."

Morzan released the king and let him fall to the floor.

"Consider yourself fortunate that my friend is a better person than I am!" he spat.

Morzan strode over to Roland's desk and grabbed a blank scroll, a quill, and in ink well.

Placing them on the floor in front of Roland, Morzan demanded, "Now, your highness, my demands are simple. Firstly, you will amend the law to recognize the gryphons as citizens and you will return the land that you have stolen from them."

Roland glared up at Morzan with a look of disbelief, as if he couldn't fathom why anyone would want to help gryphons.

"Next, you will announce your resignation as king."

"You fool!" Roland sneered. "Just who do you plan to replace me with? I have no heir!"

Unsheathing Zar'roc, Morzan drove the crimson blade into the wooden floorboards in front of Roland.

"Did I stutter or are you just too stupid to comprehend what I said?" bellowed the fallen Rider. "Now, if I were you, I'd get busy, or so help me I'll rewrite the law myself with your blood!"

Morzan glanced over at Akron. "You can be the new king."

"What?" Akron replied. "How can I be the new king?"

"You told me earlier that your family were the previous rulers of both the humans and the gryphons." explained Morzan. "By my reckoning, that should make you the new king. Besides, these people need a real leader like you. You're willing to listen to people."

Akron sighed. "It's not going to be easy. I wasn't prepared to take on this responsibility."

"You'll do fine." Morzan said with a grin. "You will certainly make a better leader than this slime!"

"Alright." Akron said, relenting.

.

.

.

The next morning, King Roland feebly announced his resignation as king and begrudgingly appointed Akron as his successor, an announcement which, to everyone's surprise, was met with a mass cheer which sounded throughout the city. Akron and Nesira immediately went to work planning how they would run the kingdom.

That evening, Morzan joined the gryphons in the former king's chambers.

"This castle was not built to accommodate gryphons. We will need to demolish it and build a new one." Akron said, surveying the room around him. "And I want to devote resources to building a new university." 

Morzan, however, did not appear so optimistic.

Sensing that his friend was troubled, Akron asked, "What's wrong?"

"When Galbatorix learns of what I've done here, he will be most displeased." Morzan explained. "When he learns that gryphons have the potential to use magic, he will see you as a threat. He will try to exterminate you just as he did the dragons, the elves, and the dwarves."

"What can we do?" asked Nesira, a tone of shocked disbelief in her voice.

"Strengthen your military." replied Morzan. "There is an ocean between you and Alagaesia. Any attempt to invade this land would require many resources. Galbatorix lacks the time and resources for an immediate invasion, so instead he will likely try to undermine you with treaties, or he may try to gain your loyalty. Either way, it would be best to refuse his offers. He will be a greater threat to your people than Roland ever was."

Akron sighed sadly. "I had wanted to avoid creating more weapons and I have no intention of staring a war."

"It makes no difference." Said Morzan. "Galbatorix is a power-hungry monster. However, this land possesses weapons and machines that are far beyond anything that exists in Alagaesia. Perhaps that will be your best defense."

Akron nodded. "Yes, perhaps you're right."

"It's a necessary evil." Nesira added in agreement.

At that moment, a guard suddenly burst into the room clutching his hand across his face as blood ran between his fingers.

"Your highness, come quick!" the man stammered.

"What happened?" demanded Akron, examining the guard's injury.

"That black gryphon… He's gone mad! He's in the dungeon!" said the guard.

"Nesira, take him to the physician." ordered Akron.

Akron and Morzan raced down to the palace dungeon to find a scene of carnage. The mangled bodies of guards lay strewn about the floor.

"Oh no…" Morzan heard Akron mutter.

Fireclaw emerged from the cell where Roland was being held, his feathers and talons covered in blood and a look of cold satisfaction on his face.

"What have you done?" demanded Akron.

"What does it look like?" smirked the black gryphon. "I gave that vermin exactly what he deserved. And soon, the other humans will get the same."

"Enough!" Akron roared, an anger the likes of which Morzan had never heard from the gryphon.

"I've given you far more chances than you deserve, Fireclaw. I've tried to be patient with you, but this time you've gone too far!"

"You were always too weak to do what needed to be done, Akron!" retorted Fireclaw. "You'll never be able to rule over the humans! The only way is for them to fear us!"

Akron glared at Fireclaw and continued, "I had hoped it wouldn't come to this, but you've left me no other choice. Fireclaw, you are hereby banished from kingdom of Danthuania, for the sake of preserving the peace between the humans and the gryphon race."

Fireclaw squawked defiantly. "We'll see what my clan has to say about that!"

"You have no choice, Fireclaw!" Akron continued. "My clan outnumbers yours. You have until tomorrow morning to leave. You and anyone who stands by you are no longer welcome here."

Fireclaw crouched as if he was about to tackle Akron, but a glare from Morzan dissuaded him.

Backing down, Fireclaw sneered. "Very well. But where are we to go?"

"There is an unexplored continent to the northwest. I remember seeing it on a world map created by the academy. It's quite a long flight across the ocean but surely a gryphon could make the journey. If you are unwilling to coexist with the humans, I suggest you go there and establish your own kingdom."

Realizing that he had no chance to win, the black gryphon dipped his head.

"So be it. But mark my words, Akron. Some day the humans will rise up against you. I wish I could watch them destroy you!"

With that, Fireclaw stormed off, leaving Akron and Morzan alone.

"He reminds me a lot of Galbatorix. You shouldn't have let him go." Morzan said to his friend.

Akron sighed. "I doubt he poses any further threat to me or this kingdom. Once my messengers spread the word of Roland's toppling to the various clans hiding throughout the land, we can unite all the clans as one. There is still much work to be done."

The next morning, Fireclaw and his clan gathered in front of the palace before their departure. A group of approximately fifty gryphons stood by Fireclaw.

Akron addressed the group of gryphons one last time.

"If any of you wish to coexist with the humans, you are welcome to say." offered the king.

The gryphons of the Black Talon Clan just glared back at him with a look of hate and anger.

"Give it a rest already, Akron!" snapped Fireclaw. "My clan answers to me, and me alone!"

"Alright then, you've made your choice. Now begone from our borders!" ordered Akron.

Fireclaw took off into the sky followed by the rest of his clan, flying off toward the northwest and toward an uncertain future.

.

.

.

For the remainder of their time with the gryphons, Morzan and Ragnarök assisted Akron and Nesira in reworking the laws of Danthuania. It was decided that in addition to a human army, a gryphon army would be created as well. Although Akron and Nesira opposed the idea of conscription, it was decided that every gryphon and human would spend a minimum of two years serving in the military upon reaching adulthood. It was also decided that all gryphons would be instructed in the basic use of magic.

Finally the day came for Morzan to return to Alagaesia. That morning, Akron and Nesira, now king and queen of Danthuania, joined their friend outside the palace.

"I wish there was something we could do to help." Nesira said, looking at her friend sympathetically.

"Don't worry. I'll be alright." Morzan replied, forcing a smile.

_Yes, just remember what we told you about Galbatorix._ Ragnarök added.

Morzan threw his arms around Akron, embracing the gryphon tightly as tears ran down his face. More than anything, he wished he could stay. Akron and Nesira were the closest thing to a real family he ever had. But he knew it was not meant to be.

Pulling himself away from his friend, Morzan wiped the tears from his face with the sleeve of his cloak.

"Goodbye, Akron. Goodbye Nesira. I'll never forget either of you." he said sadly.

"Farewell, my friends. It has been an honor to have you with us." Akron replied.

"Yes, and thank you for everything you've done for us." Nesira added graciously.

Morzan nodded, offering one last silent goodbye before climbing into Ragnarök's saddle. It would be the last time he would ever see either of them. Then the rider and dragon took off into the blue sky, heading back toward the north.

To be continued…


	5. Epelogue

Epilogue: 70 years later

The morning sun shined brightly upon the city of Gringsford one summer morning. The day started off as usual for the king and queen.

"I'm going out for my morning walk. I'm certain your day will be a lot more interesting though." Nesira said with a smile to her mate. "After all, it's not every day you get to launch a new ship."

Akron nodded his head in reply. "I'll be at the shipyard then."

With that, the king gryphon took off into the sky, headed for the sea while Nesira flew toward the city streets below. In the years that had passed since Akron and Nesira took control of Danthuania, many things had changed. A new palace had been built to accommodate gryphons, the nation was prosperous, and Danthuania now had the most technologically advanced military in the world. Akron looked at the city below as he flew toward the shipyards just outside the city.

While both the king and queen had endeared themselves to their subjects, it was Nesira who had the best relations with their human subjects. She always walked the streets of Gringsford each morning, chatting with the people on the street and listening to their concerns.

Akron himself always dealt with matters concerning the military. On this day, a new ship was to be launched. While such an occasion didn't typically merit a ceremony attended by the king, this was no ordinary vessel.

After a few minutes, Akron was soaring over a sprawling port where a curious collection of ships of all shapes and sizes were docked. As he approached the slipway in the construction yard, Akron saw a large crowd of spectators gathered around the massive warship waiting to be launched. The king descended and circled the huge vessel, surveying her from the air. The ship was 420 feet in length, with three masts and two short, stubby funnels. A single screw propeller was mounted on the stern. Though she was not the first steam ship that the Danthuanian Navy had constructed, this was like no other ship that had come before her. Instead of being constructed of wood, the vessel had a hull made of iron plates and held together with rivets. The name "Valkyrie" was painted across her stern just below the row of windows surrounding the captains quarters. When fully completed, the ship would be armed with forty cannons of varying sizes.

Morzan had been right about Galbatorix. Galbatorix had become increasingly hostile toward Danthuania over the years, with. At first he tried to forge an alliance with them, and when that failed, he resorted to threats of military force. Danthuania's military was small and vastly outnumbered against Galbatorix's mighty army, but Akron had invested time and research into developing new weapons to defend his fledgling nation. It was said by the shipbuilders that an ironclad like the Valkyrie was not only immune to any weapon Galbatorix possessed, but that the ship could easily wreck his entire navy single-handedly.

Akron landed on a platform near the bow of the Valkyrie, joining the captain and several officers on the platform. The king surveyed the ship's bow. Below the long bowsprit was a wooden carved figurehead of a crimson dragon with its wings spread and clutching a shield in it's talons. The shield was painted white with five blue bars radiating from its' center like the Danthuanian flag. From the ship's mast flew the aforementioned flag. Below it was the Danthuanian naval ensign, a flag featuring a black trident crossed by a yellow lightning bolt against a white background.

"Good morning, Captain Cross." Akron said, greeting a tall man wearing a uniform consisting of white pants and a white shirt topped by a dark blue coat and a black tricorne hat.

"Good day, your majesty." Replied the captain.

"I suppose we should get down to business." Akron said, turning to address the crowd of spectators.

"Good morning everyone." The king greeted the crowd. "I know you are all eager to see the launch, and I've never been one for longwinded speeches, so I'll keep this brief. Today we are gathered here to celebrating the commissioning of our new flagship, the HMS Valkyrie. With her combination of steam power and sails, this armored giant is capable of sailing anywhere in the world. She will be crewed by our finest officers and will be the largest, and most powerful ship ever built. As King of Danthuania, I hereby christen this vessel, the HMS Valkyrie."

Akron nodded to Captain Cross, who was holding a bottle of fine wine that dangled from a rope tied to the ship's bowsprit. The captain swung the bottle and it shattered against the ship's metal hull.

An order of "All clear!" was given and the massive chains holding the ship in place were released. The Valkyrie slid slowly down the slipway toward the water. Her bow hit the water first, sending a wave radiating outward. Thirty seconds later, the ship had settled into the water. A cheer went up from the gathered crowd once the launch was complete. Near the front of the crowd, a man with pale skin and maroon hair slipped a small stone tablet bearing a picture of the ship into his pocket and turned, making his way back through the crowd.

.

.

.

"It's far more imposing when you've seen it in person." Durza said, handing the fairth of the ship to Galbatorix.

Galbatorix studied the ship in the image and the scowled.

"That arrogant bird-cat is trying my patience." He growled. "This is all Morzan's fault."

"Well, it _is_ just a ship, your Highness." Durza replied. "Iron or not, I doubt it can hold up to magic."

"True, but we have too many problems to worry about here in Algaesia." Galbatorix replied.

"What shall we do about the gryphons then?" Durza inquired.

"Nothing for now. They'll not attack us unprovoked." Galbatorix said. "My army is actively hunting the Varden. Then there is the uprising in Surda to consider. We haven't the resources to devote to an attack on Danthuania at the moment, and the last thing I need is yet another enemy to deal with. The bird-cats will be made to pay for their arrogance in due time. Now, leave me. I wish to meditate."

"Yes, my king." Durza replied with bow before departing.

Galbatorix knew he would have to deal with the gryphons sooner or later. Most of the Forsworn were dead now, and he didn't trust the few that remained, especially Morzan. His military may have been large, but he feared they would be ineffective against Danthuania's mechanized weapons. Once the Varden and the Surdans had been crush, then his southern neighbors would get his undivided attention. For now, it was best not to further provoke the situation. Morzan had created a monster, one far more dangerous than a ragtag band of dissidents. However, the dark king was certain that it would matter little in the end. He wielded the collective magic of thousands of enslaved dragons. If war came, the gryphon and their human allies would be no match for him. And when the time came, they would all pay dearly for their defiance. It was only a matter of time.

The End.

**So the Danthuanians have a new battleship, which I based on the real life HMS Warrior. We'll be seeing more of this ship and its crew later. Anyway, now that shit story is finished, I can go back to working on my other stories.**


End file.
